The Baby Arrangement Read online

  “Not mine.” She unstuck a strand of hair from her lip gloss and pulled back her long, golden-brown hair to show him her earrings. Not even close to what she wore.

  “Oh, sorry,” he said, feeling like a fool. “I found it back at the bar where you were standing and just assumed...never mind.”

  He went to leave, but one of the other women called out to him, “Hey, wait!”

  He slowly turned around.

  “Why don’t you join us?” the redhead suggested as the women shifted chairs to make space for him. “I’m Roxie,” she said, and pointed to the others. “This is Hannah, Amber, and you’ve apparently already met Bree.”

  “Let’s just say she dropped into my life.” He winked at Bree. “I’m Nick, and you must be the friend Bree lost,” he said to Roxie. Then he made eye contact with each woman in turn.

  They made quite an intriguing group, each an individual in appearance and sense of style. Besides redheaded Roxie with her fair complexion and dancing green eyes, there was petite Hannah with long blond hair and bangs that framed her deep brown doe eyes. Next came Amber, who had East-Asian features, straight black hair blunt cut at her collarbones with wispy bangs over a high forehead, and the impression that she was a very direct person.

  Finally, there was Bree. Nick had trouble keeping a straight face. Horrified didn’t come close to describing her expression at that moment. She didn’t want him there, and she wasn’t subtle about it. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she desperately telegraphed her feelings to her companions.

  They were having none of it. In fact, they were completely ignoring her distress. The group seemed fun loving, so why not join them? Three out of four wanted him there. Not a bad percentage.

  Besides, his cousin, Pete, hadn’t shown up yet, so why not make new friends?

  “What brings you ladies to the island?” he asked, determined to show Pete that he was still on his game. Pete had pressured him into coming on this trip with him, complaining that Nick hadn’t taken time for himself since his life had been torn apart last spring. “Girls’ vacation?” Nick guessed.

  “A working vacation,” Hannah said with a scowl.

  “More work than vacation,” Roxie grumbled, and reached for a carrot. She gestured that Nick should help himself before dipping her carrot into the white dip on the large plate of appetizers they were sharing.

  He laughed, chose a cheese cube and a raw mushroom, and then washed them down with a swig of the beer he’d brought with him. “How long are you staying?” He looked directly at Bree, who still seemed to be adjusting to his presence.

  “Two more days.” Bree looked down at her drink. “We leave Sunday afternoon.”

  “Yeah, only two more nights to have any fun on this island paradise,” Amber said petulantly as she narrowed her gaze at Bree.

  “Then you better stop wasting time.” Nick tossed out his most sincere grin and rose from his chair. “Come on.” He held out a hand to Bree, but she didn’t take it. He kept smiling as he dropped his hand. For some reason, he felt the need to make her like him and prove that she’d been wrong about him. “There’s a limbo contest and karaoke going on nearby, as well as a steel-drum band. There’s also plenty more of whatever you’re drinking out of those coconuts.”

  “Let’s limbo!” The women were enthusiastic as they jumped up to join him, with Bree bringing up the rear.

  “I love steel-drum bands!” one of them shouted.

  Nick downed the last of his beer and set his plastic cup on the table along with the nearly devoured appetizer plate and several empty coconut shells.

  The group stopped at the tiki bar to get fresh drinks and to drop off the earring he’d found before continuing on to search out the entertainment Nick had suggested. From the way Bree kept ignoring him and putting one of her friends between them, she seemed determined to pretend that he hadn’t invaded her territory.

  He refused to be deterred—he would win her over. Besides, he was a nice guy, damn it. Everyone said so.

  After several drinks and a quick dinner from a kiosk on the street, a limbo contest on the beach and a half-decent try at karaoke later, Nick finally found himself alone with Bree at a corner table in the main hotel lounge. He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she seemed more comfortable around him. “Would you like to take a walk on the beach?” he asked, raising his voice to be heard. The steel-drum band had just begun another set after a short break, so conversation was difficult.

  “I should probably call it a night,” she said on a hiccup. Then she giggled, more evidence that she’d finally relaxed.

  “Maybe the fresh air will get rid of your hiccups,” he suggested, enjoying Bree even more in her calmer state.

  She giggled again. “That’s silly.” She picked up her empty coconut shell and considered it. “Did someone drink all of this?”

  “You could say that.” He grinned automatically and caught her hand in his. She smiled and didn’t pull away, a dreamy look on her face with her eyes shuttered to mere slits.

  “You know, you’re not half-bad,” she said. “I’m starting to get used to you.”

  “Gee, thanks.” He laughed at her backhanded compliment. “You’re not so bad, either.” He meant the words. Once she’d given in and let herself enjoy her surroundings—live in the moment—she was fun to hang out with.

  He wondered what it was about her that had made him think she was so vulnerable. Now he only saw her as damned attractive and overtly sexy. Not that he was looking to hook up, no matter what his cousin thought he should do.

  So what if she had a slender body with just enough curves to make his own body react. And so what if her long, medium-brown hair had shades of gold that sparkled when light hit them. Just because the long layers rested against those delicately toned, bare upper arms didn’t mean he wanted to kiss every inch of them.

  The sudden urge to run his fingers through her silky locks that she liked to toss made his fingers curl into tight fists, and he reined himself in.

  “No, really,” she said. “When we first met I thought you were pretty bossy and a know-it-all. But you actually seem like a pretty nice guy.”

  He grinned, blaming it on the sweet mixed drinks she’d been downing. He’d consumed more alcohol than he normally did and he was beginning to feel it. He suspected she didn’t imbibe this much very often, either. She presented herself as always in control—of both herself and situations.

  A short while ago, her friends had mysteriously disappeared after excusing themselves, one by one, to go to the bathroom. Nick checked his watch. The last woman had left nearly ten minutes ago. Either there was an emergency in the ladies’ room or Bree’s friends had deliberately abandoned her.

  He chose the second option as having a higher probability. As protective of her as they seemed to be, he supposed this meant he had their approval as a chaperone. Of course, it wasn’t like they’d been left alone in the woods. There were plenty of people still enjoying the tropical night.

  “You have the nicest smile,” Bree told him. “Thank you for catching me earlier. Have I thanked you already?”

  “Yes, you have.” He’d been absently rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

  His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked the caller ID, not surprised when he read it. “Excuse me a minute.” He rose, touching Bree’s bare shoulder and speaking close to her ear. “Promise you’ll be here when I get back?” The citrus smell of her hair was nearly his undoing.

  She nodded, held up three fingers in a mock salute and said, “I promise.”

  Damn. She was nearly irresistible.

  “Hey, Pete,” Nick greeted his cousin on the other end when he found a quieter spot to talk. “I’ve been trying to reach you. What happened to you earlier? I thought you were meeting me at the bar. After all, thi
s weekend getaway was your idea.”

  “There was a problem on the boat and it’s taking longer than expected.” Nick and Pete had flown to San Juan, Puerto Rico, using Pete’s airline miles. Then Pete had borrowed a friend’s boat for them to come to Isla de la Blanca. Nick probably wouldn’t have let himself be talked into coming if most of the trip hadn’t been free.

  “You need me to come back to the marina?” Pete had told Nick to go to the lodge without him so he could take a quick shower first.

  “No, I’ve got it,” Pete said. “There’s a guy here who’s helping me out. Shouldn’t be too long now.”

  “Get here as soon as you can. You’ll be happy to know that I met a group of really fun women.”

  “Excellent. Be there soon.”

  By the time he made it back to the table, he was second-guessing what he’d told Pete. The other three women were still nowhere in sight. Bree was alone—her head was on her folded arms and her eyes shut.

  CHAPTER TWO

  BREE LIFTED HER HEAD when she heard Nick move his chair as he returned from taking his phone call. She was tired and would have preferred to go to bed, but she’d promised the girls that she’d let her hair down while they were on vacation. She didn’t think she’d had that much to drink. After all, how much alcohol could there be in those sweet drinks? Still, she felt a little wobbly when she stood up.

  “Maybe some fresh air is a good idea,” she told Nick. Afterward, she could go to bed with a clearer head.

  “Let’s go.” He offered her his arm and she didn’t refuse.

  They stepped through the automatic doors and Bree drew in a deep breath, trying to counter the effects of the alcohol.

  The air was humid, but the continuous breeze off the ocean was refreshing.

  They followed a masonry walkway that led to a narrow boardwalk, and from there they walked down the few steps onto the sandy beach.

  “Hold on a sec,” Bree said, stopping abruptly. “I need to take my shoes off if we’re going to walk on the sand.”

  They both slipped off their shoes and left them next to the stairs before heading to the water’s edge.

  The sky was clear and Bree saw more stars than she could count, wondering what constellations she was admiring.

  “That’s Orion, the Hunter,” Nick said as if reading her mind. “Those three stars together make up his belt.” He pointed to another cluster of stars and took a step to the side as if trying to keep his balance. So she wasn’t the only one who was feeling the alcohol. “And that’s Cassiopeia,” he added.

  He’d taken her hand somewhere between the lounge and the beach, but she didn’t mind. In fact, she kind of liked it. She decided to blame her nonchalant attitude on too many sweet drinks.

  “You’re probably making that up to impress me,” she teased.

  “Is it working?” Nick chuckled, a pleasant sound that made Bree smile. “I promise, those are definitely Orion and Cassiopeia.” He spoke as he looked toward the sky, wavering slightly. “Legend has it that Orion had women trouble. When he wooed Merope, the daughter of King Oenopion, she rebuffed him. One day he drank too much wine and tried to take Merope by force, so the king had Orion blinded and banished.”

  “Imagine if today’s sex offenders met the same fate.” Bree was fascinated by the tale. “So this guy, Orion, was blind forever?”

  “No, eventually he regained his sight with the help of Hephaestus, the god of the forge. Not sure how a blacksmith can restore sight, but that’s what I learned.”

  “What are you, an astronomer or something?” She knew very little about him aside from his skill at rescuing falling women.

  “Nope. Just an Eagle Scout.”

  “Eagle Scout, very impressive. I’m sure your parents are very proud.”

  “They were,” he told her in a more subdued tone.

  “You make it sound like past tense.” Bree cocked her head, waiting for his explanation.

  “Sorry. My mother still brags about me.” He paused. “My father died almost two years ago.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her own father had been absent so much of her life that it sometimes felt like he was deceased. And he lived only a half hour away from her.

  He shrugged off her condolence. “It was very sudden and there are times I still can’t believe he’s gone. He actually taught me how to navigate with the stars, and he did all the venture camping trips with me.”

  She tried to lighten his mood. “So I don’t have to worry about getting lost, and you’ll protect me from bears?”

  That made him laugh, an enjoyable male sound. “I doubt we’ll come across any bears on the beach, and as long as we stick next to the shore I’m pretty sure I can get us back to the main lodge.”

  Her head had cleared a bit and she didn’t feel quite as out of control in the fresh air. At some point during the evening, she had stopped resenting Nick’s intrusion on her girls’ working vacation and begun having fun. He hadn’t made a good first impression, but she had been willing to rethink her initial opinion of him.

  Maybe the girls had been right about her needing to have a vacation fling. She wasn’t about to seduce him, but he was definitely entertaining to have around.

  “Someone mentioned earlier that you were all here on a working vacation,” he said. “So what kind of work do you do?”

  This was a subject she loved to talk about. “I own a company that helps women get ahead in their jobs. We offer training and guidance for women already in the workforce, as well as for those coming back into the workforce.”

  “Isn’t that a little sexist, just focusing on women’s issues?”

  “Isn’t it sexist for men to be paid more than women for the same job? Or for women to be passed over for promotions because they’re of childbearing age and might require maternity leave?”

  “Whoa! I’ve obviously struck a nerve. Sorry,” he said. “I just wondered why you don’t offer the same services to men. But you’ve explained it perfectly.”

  She relaxed. “I’m passionate about my company and what we do for women. Two years ago we even started loaning money to women to start up new businesses. So far, it’s been very successful.”

  “That’s great! When did you start the company?”

  “Technically, about thirteen years ago.”

  His eyes widened in surprise.

  “But I was still in college then,” she added. “I didn’t actually incorporate until two years later.”

  They were silent for a while, the pounding of the waves crashing on the shore making for a pleasant soundtrack.

  “What brought you here?” she asked as they continued walking. “I didn’t even know this place existed.” The island was small, no more than a few square miles, but with all the luxuries imaginable. So far, four days into the trip, Bree had no complaints.

  “Someone recommended it to me,” he said as he looked at the sky.

  “And you just had to check it out?”

  “Something like that,” he said cryptically, and then looked down at her. “Would you believe I just needed to get away?”

  She shrugged. “But why here?”

  “Why not? From where I’m standing right now, it seems like I chose wisely.”

  She stopped walking at those words.

  He stopped, too, and turned to face her.

  Their eyes met and she forgot to breathe. He took both of her hands and pulled her to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. His body was solid, and the heat coming off him suffused her in a cocoon of warmth and comfort.

  She rested her cheek on his chest. The pounding of his heart and the hard muscles beneath his T-shirt were difficult to ignore.

  He tipped up her chin with his finger. Her eyelids closed as his mouth descended on hers. Their first contact was c
haste, but her lips hummed with expectation. She ran her hands up his back, enjoying the play of his muscles as he tightened his embrace.

  He slanted his mouth over hers, deepening the kiss and stealing her breath away. His hand on her lower back held her securely.

  But then Nick ended the kiss abruptly, leaving Bree to question her kissing ability. “What—” she gasped, realizing how truly out of practice she was at this man-woman thing.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “We should get back. Your friends will wonder what happened to you.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her in the direction from which they’d come.

  “Slow down,” she cried, trying to keep up. Her foot landed on something sharp. “Ouch!” She liberated herself from his grasp and hopped on her good foot.

  “What happened?” he asked, when she sat down hard on the damp sand.

  “I think I cut my foot on something,” she sputtered. Then she mumbled under her breath, “As if you cared.” Not only was her pride hurt, but now she’d done a number on her foot if the pain she felt was any indication.

  “Bree, I’m sorry. It’s not you,” he began. “I—”

  “Save it.” She’d never been as good as her friends were with the opposite sex. Up until this moment, she hadn’t really cared.

  She brushed the sand from her cut foot to discover she was bleeding. The moon and stars were bright, but not bright enough to see how deep the cut was. “It’s bleeding.”

  Without another word, he picked her up and carried her back to where the light was brighter and set her down.

  “You might need stitches,” Nick said, after examining her foot.

  No way. That would mean needles and she didn’t do needles. “I’m sure some antibiotic ointment and a bandage will do.”

  “Let’s get a second opinion,” he said as he lifted her again and proceeded to carry her to the hotel. He inquired at the front desk about a nearby infirmary, and was directed to the resort’s clinic, just a short walk away. He was also given a towel to wrap around her foot.